Remeron (Mirtazapine) Withdrawal Support Group

[[Ba...]]

Hi everyone, 

 

Coralashley,

 

I also have been trying to wean remeron since April, and have stopped it totally on 4 occasions.  My last dose of clonazepam was March 13, 2013.  I weaned off temazepam  and clonazepam, and used the remeron for sleep starting from 11.25.  I have basically gone from 11.25 to 7.5, and then to 3.75 without any problem.  Every time I cut the remeron  to 1.87 my sleep starts to deteriorate.  I did get liquid from a compounding pharmacy, and tried it one night and didn't sleep at all, which made me anxious about the liquid. 

 

I am now off benzos 4 months, and am wondering if I should  be having this much trouble sleeping.  Does anyone know what would be reasonable in time?  I have no other problem stopping the remeron except for the sleep.

 

Yesterday, I read that at this low dose, remeron only affects the histamines.  Has anyone else heard that?

[[La...]]

Hello All,

 

Cora Ashley & Dave,

 

Thank  You both for your replies. As I explained, my new pdoc put me on remeron when I failed my botched taper of ativan & switched me over to klonopin. He knows how badly I'd like to taper, but says I was in no condition to start a taper again at this time. I got down to .75 from 1 mg ativan, probably should've started on a higher dose  because I'd been taking more prn throughout the past 6 months & drinking on top of that as well. Anyway, I went way too fast in my taper without the guidance of a doctor, & completely fell apart. I eventually up dosed & had one foot in the psych hospital but decided against it. Now here I am with a new doc, who is trying to get me stable on this course of meds before we taper again. I'm getting better, but not where I'd like to be. Plus  having residual symptoms from the ativan taper, sound sensitivities, tremors, can't nap because I wake up with adreneline rushes, burning skin feeling on my back at times, restless legs. At first I thought theses were due to remeron side effects, as I do find it to be stimulating. But the more I think about it the more I feel it's due to the ativan taper & this is what I'm left with.

Cora Ashley you said you found remeron to be stimulating, even at a lower dose. Could some of my symptoms be from remeron? Sometimes I sleep great on it & other times I don't. I definitely have gained some weight, not a lot, I don't crave carbs like others, but I am eating.

This whole entire experience has been so tough. I'm going to listen to my doc & follow his plan because mine failed. I'm hoping to get to a good place where I can start tapering the K very very slowly. I don't know when that will be but I do know I do not want to stay on it for very long.

I don't know how long the doc will keep me on remeron, but are you finding it extremely hard to come

off of?  And what about sleep? Does it ruin your sleep once off. I sleep great some nights, others not so great. I found that it's definitely helped with my depression, but the stimulating factor worries me once I start tapering. I know I don't need anything that's going to cause more stimulation once I go down on the klonopin. I had also read I. The Ashton manual it was the hardest to come off of.

If an someone, anyone would like to chime in with an comments or questions regarding my post I'd really appreciate it. Tell me the good & bad of the drug & what it's done for you.

If you think my symptoms could be related to remeron or my botched  taper.

Anything.....I really appreciate your responses in advance.

 

Thank you so much,

Laelani

[[Co...]]

I'm sorry you are having a rough time on remeron, etc.

I did and do feel stimulated by remeron.. but I also know that it did help me... while I was tapering off of the benzo.. but now I am finding that it affects me differently now that I am off the benzo.

I have a hard time falling asleep and I feel wired in my heard, like the lights are on.

 

I don't want to worry you or misinform you.. so you may want to let your doctor know how you are feeling.

They say getting on another drug to get off a drug is a bad idea.. but everyone of this thread did just that and we are still doing o.k..

It's a choice.

 

Wish you the best!

[[Ti...]]

Hi all, I'm traveling around Italy and I though I would chime in to say hello. This is the beginning of my 5th week off remeron and to my surprise I'm making progress very rapidly. I'm sleeping 6-7 hours per night (although interrupted; sometimes I wake up for an hour until I fall back asleep) and other w/d symptoms are just too irrelevant or transient to be mentioned. The other night I had to take an antihistamine (cetrizine) because I left the window open and got bitten by too many mosquitoes. Well, I slept for 8 hours that night and woke up only once. I was tempted to take the cetrizine again, but I've decided to let my body do its own thing at its own pace. I really think the worse it's over and it's very nice to feel like I'm regaining my life. My last milligram of remeron was very hard to taper and could never stabilize on it, so I'm glad I took the decision to jump. My only complaint right now is that I'm still not losing weight (sigh) but at least I don't have the crazy cravings anymore.

I hope all of you are making progress and wish you all the best with your taper. This place has been a godsend to me, so please feel free to contact me if you have questions, I'll be honored to answer them. 

Tiger Lily

[[La...]]

Thank you for your reply Cora Ashley,

 

I know you weren't on remeron through your entire taper, but you said it felt like it help get you through your benzo taper. Was that only with sleep symptoms or depression as well? Did it help with other symptoms. I know so many bbs are against taking ads or other meds while tapering, but every doctor I've seen says that it really the way th go due to severe depression etc.

Which I've experienced already due to my 1st failed taper. But it does mean I'll be on it through my entire taper & I just hope it helps & doesn't poop out on me.....also that I'll be able to taper off of it after getting off the K. I'm feeling a lot better & stronger now, so I'm hoping my pdoc will start tapering the K soon....I am scared of what lies ahead for me, but I'm hoping & praying I can get through it all. Frankly I'm down right scared....I got far enough into my ativan taper to open the door to many scary mental & psychological symptoms. Wish I had been able to get through it & continue it or never started it without the knowledge I have gained since. Can't change it now it is what it is but it makes it so much harder.  Hope to hear from you soon....

 

Laelani

[[Ti...]]

Hi everyone, 

 

Coralashley,

 

I also have been trying to wean remeron since April, and have stopped it totally on 4 occasions.  My last dose of clonazepam was March 13, 2013.  I weaned off temazepam  and clonazepam, and used the remeron for sleep starting from 11.25.  I have basically gone from 11.25 to 7.5, and then to 3.75 without any problem.  Every time I cut the remeron  to 1.87 my sleep starts to deteriorate.  I did get liquid from a compounding pharmacy, and tried it one night and didn't sleep at all, which made me anxious about the liquid. 

 

I am now off benzos 4 months, and am wondering if I should  be having this much trouble sleeping.  Does anyone know what would be reasonable in time?  I have no other problem stopping the remeron except for the sleep.

 

Yesterday, I read that at this low dose, remeron only affects the histamines.  Has anyone else heard that?

 

Hi Baseballfan, congrats on getting off benzos and now remeron. Unfortunately, there is no way around it: if you want off remeron, you'll have to put up with insomnia at some point. Only you can decide if you're ready to face it. I'm a graduate student and I had to wait until I finished the academic year in order to come off the drug, as I couldn't do it while studying and teaching. Even a slow taper didn't help me in the end because it seems that below 1 mg remeron doesn't have much effect on sleep anymore (at least that's my experience). I also had many failed attempts until I decided to go through the whole insomnia thing. The first 2-3 weeks after jumping where the worst, but since then I haven't stopped improving, which has made all the previous suffering well worth it

As I said, only you can determine whether it's a good time for you to continue tapering the remeron. Dr. Ashton says that you should wait at least 4 weeks after your last dose of benzo to start tapering another drug, and you've been off benzos 4 months now. Some people wait a year. I waited only 4 weeks because at that point I was feeling strong.

Give the liquid solution another try. It might be just a freak coincidence that you couldn't sleep on it.

Good luck with the rest of your taper!

T. Lily

 

[[Co...]]

Hi tiger l sorry to hear u haven't lost any weight, ugg!!

Thank u for update ding us on how u r feeling thoughtout ur jump off its very helpful!

 

Baseballfan, yes u will need to wait until at least 4 weeks. I had to drop 10% a few days ago b/c it was over stimulating even at the small dose I'm on.

 

My sleep has been ok.. It's harder to fall asleep I try to fall sleep in bed after I almost fall asleep on the couch in our Livingston, but then when I get to the bed if I'm laying there for 1/2 an hour I get up and lay in a recliner I have in my bedroom. Then I fall asleep there and then I go into my bed and fall asleep. It's crazy but that's what the routine has been lately.

 

Tiger l did u ever have any breathing issues, each time I tried to stop remeron I got to where my breathing was harder which causes panik. I haven't had that for a while but I know that is the mane thing that's frightens me a little.

 

Hi laelina- I wish I hadn't gone on the remeron at times that's for sure! B/c now I'm going to have to wean  Off of it. But I don't know how I would've been able to do all I done without it. I do have to say that after taking it for a while the effects aren't as strong as it once was  But it is still working so I'm very thankful for that. I'm glad to see that you're praying & remember what the Bible says it says if you have faith the size of a mustard seed You can move mountains. Faith is the things hoped for and the evidence of things unseen.

Believe my friend that  You will and can get through this with God's grace.

There will be times that you're scared yes that's true everyone experiences that. There will be times that you feel you're losing your mind, yes we all experience that. But it isn't you its the medication remember that.

[[no...]]

wow, what a nice surprise to see you all coming together here on this 7/11. 

 

i only have a moment, but want to pass on my best as always!

 

really encouraged by your post T. Lil, so cool the progress you have made. the weight loss will come. you are truly stabilizing. and how cool is that?

 

hi coralashley! hi! hi! 

 

hi laelani, i totally understand your fear of what lies ahead. try not to go there just yet. you sound very level headed despite the stuff you are going thru. try to keep that space. i like how you described getting to a point in the ativan taper of "opening the door" to the symptoms. as freaky as that is. you've gotten a sneak preview. does it help to think of that as you knowing, at least a little, what is on the horizon? could you use that to lessen the fear? that familiarity with lingering uncertainty? symptoms are going to intensify and subside. or not. you're only going to know when you get there. let us know how we can support you. it's amazing how the withdrawal process, at least for me, taught me just how tenuous everything is. as if all our lives and the different aspects of it are as fragile as a drop of dew on the tip of a blade of grass. we don't typically think like that. but withdrawal brings you there. and i think, that at the end of the day, we are all going to appreciate things a lot more on the other side of this. and we will all get there. sorry. i am rambling.

 

tonight will be my 5th night of this most recent .3 mg taper. and this is about the time my symptoms really start to ramp. sleep is ok, but i am more anxious and teary and i have that heavy-headed dizzy feeling i always get. i can never tell if it is the actual remeron withdrawal, some underlying benzo issues, or both. so, i'm hanging on for the ride. if all goes as typical for me, another week of this and then i start to stabilize. then we can throw confetti and think about the next taper. sooo...

 

hey, i am really putting the positive vibes out there for each and every one of you. i am so thankful you are here and that we have each other for this little journey. blessings and healing and solace be yours...

 

-dave

[[Ti...]]

Hi Dave, I also had the crying thing and the anxiety, I tend to think they were remeron related. But I guess that in the end it doesn't matter where they come from, right? The only thing we can do is to keep going! Congrats on carrying on with your taper!

 

Coralashley, I didn't get breathing issues, but I got chest pressure (something very weird, like having an elephant sat on my chest) and a stuffy nose. Even now I get the stuffy nose sometimes. It goes away if I take an antihistamine, but don't like taking it. I would like to be as medicine free as possible for a while!

 

Tiger Lily

[[Co...]]

Hi Dave and tiger l, and everyone else!

I had some blood work done, here is what it said:

Lower than optimal:

T3 thyroid

Progesterone

Testosterone

 

My doctor wants me to go on hormone replacement. I'm 36 yrs old.

The thyroid test says normal is between 2.3-4.2, mine was 2.8 which the dr says is lower than optimal which he says should be 3.7

My progesterone is 3.2 and he says optimal levels are 10

My testosterone was higher than it'd ever been at 25.. It's usually 11 or 18... The test says normal levels r 2-45 and the dr says that optimal levesl r 60 (that is higher than normal range)

 

Once u go on hormones u can't go off b/c ur body stops making as much since u r taking hormones.

I wonder if remeron could have caused my t3 to be low? And that's why I've gained some weight. I know both hormone replacement for t3 and testosterone will help me lose weight naturall.

But I'm scared that my thyroid is being effected by Remeron. I know my testosterone has always been pretty low.

 

I don't thin I'm going to take the progesterone b/c I've read the posts on this site about it acting on the GABA receptor sites like benzo and it can cause benzo like w/ds. My dr said he thinks it would really help me right now. But drs don't know the hell we go thru during this times,

 

Let me know what u all think and thanks!

 

 

[[Co...]]

Hi everyone, this is something I found online for taperin off remeron, it just reinforces that the tapering plan from UK is the way to go:

9.  How to Stop Taking Remeron (mirtazapine)

Your doctor should be recommending that you reduce your dosage by 7.5 - 15mg a day every week if you need to stop taking it, if not more slowly than that. Based on the 20–40 hour half-life.

10.  Remeron’s (mirtazapine’s) Half-Life & Average Time to Clear Out of Your System

Mirtazapine’s half-life is 20–40 hours. The average is 26 hours for guys and 37 hours for girls. Girls always take longer. So Remeron is out of a guy’s system in about five days while it’s out of a girl’s in about seven days.

[[Co...]]

Hi everyone... I'd like for u all to get ur thyroid tested/blood work.. Not just the regualar test but the one where it show the t4 and t3 levels.

The reason I'm saying this is my t3 levels came back lower than optimal and my doctor wants to put me on hormones for it.

I believe the remeron is whats caused mine to be lower and that is why and how I've gained weight from the remeron.

 

Can u all go and do that and post ur results?

This may solve how remeron has made us gain weight, by slowing our metabolism and thyroid.

 

Thanks!

[[Co...]]

Hi everyone!! No one has posted for quite some time now..

I'd love to hear from you all!  I've posted a couple things to read, please do so!

 

Look forward to talking to you all!

Go team!

[[bu...]]

Hi everyone... I'd like for u all to get ur thyroid tested/blood work.. Not just the regualar test but the one where it show the t4 and t3 levels.

The reason I'm saying this is my t3 levels came back lower than optimal and my doctor wants to put me on hormones for it.

I believe the remeron is whats caused mine to be lower and that is why and how I've gained weight from the remeron.

 

Can u all go and do that and post ur results?

This may solve how remeron has made us gain weight, by slowing our metabolism and thyroid.

 

Thanks!

 

First, let me say I am one of the group that had a good experience with Remeron (No weight gain, no WD, good results).  But toward the end of my remeron usage, I was hyperthyroid.  TSH was low, T4 normal but T3 elevated.

[[Co...]]

Thank u builder for ur post! I'm glad u'be joined this thread!

Did u do anything to regulate them? Or did u stop the remeron and they went back to normal?

 

Thank u for posting!

[[Ti...]]

Hi Coralashley, I'm abroad right now but I will be looking into the thyroid test in August when I return to the US. There must be something wrong with my metabolism because today I'm 5 weeks off and still not losing a single pound... I have 13 lbs to go. I thought I would lose then quickly because I'm not that hungry anymore and I eat clean, but that's not the case.

Tiger Lily

[[Co...]]

I really think that remeron messes with the rate of your metabolism... and that's why we can't lose weight.

In reference to builder, remeron is know for either putting weight on or sometimes having the opposite effect.. So Builder didn't gain weight, but he tested positive for hyperthryoidism.

 

I think I'm on to something with this whole thing.. I just had my bio-identical hormones mailed to me.. so I'm going to try the thyoid stuff and the testosterone.. I'm not going to touch the progesterone though.. there are way too many posts saying not to do that!

That's why benzo buddies is soo fabulous!

 

Hey Tiger L, you said you were coming to USA, do you normally live in the states?  I thought you lived abroad!

 

Hope to hear from you soon!

 

 

[[bu...]]

Thank u builder for ur post! I'm glad u'be joined this thread!

Did u do anything to regulate them? Or did u stop the remeron and they went back to normal?

 

Thank u for posting!

 

Because hyperthyroid can mimic anxiety disorder as well as WD sxs, my doc and I agreed I should not try to stop or taper any psych meds until thyroid function was normalized.

 

He put me on methimazole for 60 days, which made me hypothyroid. Then he put me on a lower dose of methimazole, plus levothyroxine for another 60 days.  At that point all my numbers were normal, altough T3 was at the low end of the normal range.  So he stopped the methimazole, and lowered the levo dose in order to bring T3 up closer to mid-range normal.  I still take 25 mcg levo daily.

 

Once all of this was normal, I quit Remeron (went from 22.5 to 15 for a week, then 7.5 for a week, then off.  No WD sxs at all.)  I had been on it for almost 3 years.  Once I was off Remeron, I started my diazepam taper.  You see my program and progress in my siggy.

[[Co...]]

Wow that's great builder!

Since u've been off remeron have u had ur thyroid checked?

How long have u been off remeron?

 

Thanks for posting!

[[Co...]]

Hi builder my thyroid numbers r all in the normal ranges but my t3 is close to the lowest number.

What were ur #s?

[[bu...]]

Wow that's great builder!

Since u've been off remeron have u had ur thyroid checked?

How long have u been off remeron?

 

Thanks for posting!

 

I was on Remeron almost 3 years.  I stopped almost a year ago.

 

I had a physical with complete blood work (including full thyroid group) in March '13, and all numbers were normal.  I still take 25 mcg levothyroxine.

 

Personally, I'm more inclined to suspect diazepam as a contributing factor to my thyroid problems, but I have nothing to support that belief.  A lot of benzo users have developed thyroid abnormalities.

 

BTW, early in my V taper, I had occasional sleep problems, and a very small dose of Remeron (approx 3.75) would quickly put me to sleep.  But I haven't taken any at all for several months.

[[Co...]]

Thank u builder! Blessings to u on ur journies!

U ll be benzo free soon enough!

 

[[bu...]]

Hi builder my thyroid numbers r all in the normal ranges but my t3 is close to the lowest number.

What were ur #s?

 

TSH.....................3.14

T4........................ .93

t3.........................3.3

 

Periodoxase.........18

Antithyroglobulin..33

 

[[Co...]]

Hi builder my thyroid numbers r all in the normal ranges but my t3 is close to the lowest number.

What were ur #s?

 

TSH.....................3.14

T4........................ .93

t3.........................3.3

 

Periodoxase.........18

Antithyroglobulin..33

 

 

 

Here are my numbers:

 

Progesteron:

Normal range: 3.0-31.4

Mine is 3.2, my doctor says optimal levels should be at 10

 

Testosterone:

Normal range: 2-45

Mine is 25, my doctor says optimal levels should be at 60

My testosterone #s have been as low as 8

 

Thyroid:

T4 total: Normal range: 4.5-12.0

Mine is 6.6

T4, Free Normal range: .8-1.8

Mine is 1.2

T3, Free: Normal 2.3-4.2

Mine is 2.8, my dr says optimal levels should be 3.7

 

I would love to hear from you all about your thoughts, experiences, etc.

[[al...]]

Hello All.

I have been a member of BB since April but haven't posted much since I first joined. My signature is a little confusing, so just to hopefully clarify/make it simpler: In March I started having some problems sleeping. I had always taken Xanax (prn) for the occasional night like this-no problem-maybe twice a month. Never had any real problems with sleep before and I do believe this bout with insomnia was due to anxiety of a health crisis I had been dealing with (malignant tumor removed from leg last Oct.). Anyway- began taking the Xanax everynight (.25mg) for about a week. Then got scared about that and switched to Ambien for a little while--back to Xanax for a bit. Then pdoc switched me to Restoril which I took for about 18 days (tried to taper at the end but don't think I did really enough)--thought I was okay for a few days, then couldn't sleep/nausea, etc....and pdoc said to go back to ambien and she also started me on remeron. I know this sounds like a mess. It was all over a period of about 2 months and at that point I stuck with the ambien and remeron--while trying to taper the whole time. I tapered off the ambien about a month ago and I'm currently at 1mg (liquid) of the remeron.  Last week, I tried to stop the remeron all together because I had gotten down to the 1 mg for about a week and slept pretty well for the most part. So-I stopped for about 5 days. During those days, I felt okay and slept about 5 hours of broken sleep--but on the 6th day, I started feeling more nausea/anxiety. It passed by that night, but I couldn't sleep b/c I kept feeling like something was in my throat of like I had to keep swallowing....?Anyway, next day was horrible and I caved and took 1.5mg of remeron and slept 12 hours! That was Saturday night and since then I have taken 1mg per day and done okay. I guess maybe I tapered it too fast. I had been taking 1/8th of the pill before I had it made into liquid and with the liquid I pretty much just jumped down to 1ml and only stayed there for a week before jumping. I just want to be done so bad! I can't figure out what the best course is from here. Down by .1ml per week to nothing or maybe skipping days,etc.....the plan set out by CITA that Coralashley posted on........I have read on a few other sites where that is how several people finally made it off this stuff. Anyway---this group seems very supportive and that is what I need right now. Sometimes I have to cut myself off from the internet for a few days b/c I have learned that I can scare myself significantly by some of the things I read and then finding that positive attitude is hard. I have recently considered purchasing the Point of Return program just for some support and advise--but not sure I want to take all those supplements---have any of you heard anything good about that program? The people on the phone there seem so knowledgable and they are so nice..........? Although I feel a little silly with 1mg to go. However, to me, that 1mg seems like a mountain! Any and all advice welcome. Thanks guys!

Ally